A
silent, somber line of women and a couple men strode into the square and
surrounded the circle of pink and white flowers on the gray pavement. About 30
pairs of heels and sandals lay scattered within the flowers, empty, as if
waiting for feet to fill them. Placed around the circle were bright yellow
signs saying, “Machismo kills.” As the group kneeled down, four women started
to lightly drum, in rhythm but slightly out of sync. One after another, a
person slowly rose and read from a card the name of a woman. “Ana Gonzalez. Se murió el 23 de Agosto,
2014 [Ana Gonzalez. Died August 23, 2014].” Each card listed the name of a female who died as a result of
being physically attacked by her spouse. A woman dressed in a black dress took
the card and, in jagged movements, placed it in front of an empty pair of shoes.
The melancholy demonstration evoked sadness and awareness that sexual and
physical violence towards women is still very prevalent in Chile, highlighting
the current gender issues within the culture.
Before coming to Chile, I
had heard about the concept of machismo, which is the idea of masculine pride
and dominance. In my mind I expected Chile to have the stereotypical culture in
which men constantly whistled at women in the streets, and few females had
professional jobs. In contrast, when I arrived, the machismo culture was not as
obvious. Many women study and work, and there is only occasional whistling when
I run. However, gender inequality continues to exist. Women make less than men
in the same jobs and are expected to stay at home and take care of the kids.
When I ask Chileans whether
machismo continues to influence their culture, many say that it is weakening.
However, some men claim that it continues to be reinforced by women themselves
because they continue to perform the typical female role of being caretakers
and staying home. Not all the Chilean guys I talked to seemed to think that men
had a role to play in getting rid of machismo attitudes. This led me to
question how gender norms change. In the United States, feminist movements are
becoming much more prevalent and challenging how our society's views on gender. In
contrast, in Chile there are very few female movements, and the Women and Gender
Studies major does not exist in my university. How can Chilean women change how
they view their roles in society without assistance from groups or educational
opportunities offering differing perspectives? Why are there so few feminist
efforts?
This
past week I met up with Rosa Pilar, a feminist Chilean poet from Valparaiso.
Her poetry centers on the female experience in relation to discrimination,
abuse, oppression, and machismo. As we talked, she explained to me the change
in female movements within the last 30 years. Rosa was a member of
anti-political efforts during Pinochet’s dictatorship that sought to reinstall
gender norms through sexual violence and limiting female educational and
employment opportunities. Her face lit up with excitement as she explained the
unified and spirited female groups that opposed the oppressive regime. During
that time, many women headed groups that sought to find their disappeared
family members or fought to liberate women from restrictive roles and increase
their educational opportunities. Nevertheless, her face grew more somber as she
described the feminist environment today. Gone are the spirited attitudes and
unified efforts. Due to the rise of an individualistic society, Rosa claimed
that many local groups seeking to advance female rights have internal conflicts
and struggles. They have a difficult time working together, limiting their
impact and presence in local communities.
Although machismo is still
prevalent in Chilean society, there are efforts being made to change gender
norms. Last weekend Valparaiso hosted Mil Tambores, a drumming and dancing
festival that brings in more than 30,000 visitors to the city. As I watched the
large parade last Sunday, amidst the many musical groups was the cuerpos pintados, or painted bodies, in
which a group of mostly women paint their naked bodies and walk down the
streets singing and dancing. Not only is it a form of art, but it is also an
expression of independence, liberation, and appreciation of the human body. It
might not directly be an anti-machismo event, but it is an opportunity for
Chilean women to freely express themselves in ways not normally accepted within
their typical culture.
